A vertical electric smoker typically comprises: a vertical box-type cooking and smoking chamber; a vertical front door for the cooking chamber; and an internal electric element. The electrical element is typically used for both (a) heating the interior of the cooking chamber for cooking the food and (b) heating a small amount of wood (e.g., wood chips, pellets, or other pieces) to generate smoke within the cooking chamber. Often the vertical box will be built with insulated walls, a window in the door, and electronic controls, including a remote control in some cases. Also, a single exhaust vent is typically provided in or near the top of the vertical box to allow the smoke to flow out of the cooking chamber after contacting the food.
Examples of prior vertical electric smokers are shown in US Pat. Nos. D615798, D616243, and 7,426,885. In the vertical electric smoker of U.S. Pat. No. 7,426,885, wood chips are placed in a loading trough which is inserted through an opening in the side of the cooking chamber. In this arrangement, multiple small amounts of wood chips, typically limited to less than one cup, must be added during the course of the cooking and smoking process.
Consequently, when using a prior vertical electric smoker of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,426,885 for smoking multiple large pieces of food in the cooking chamber over a lengthy, slow cooking cycle, the user must frequently assess, typically by visual observation of the amount and color of the smoke flowing out of the cooking and smoking chamber, when a new load of wood chips is needed. Then, to add each new load of wood chips, the user must withdraw the wood loading trough, refill the trough with a small fresh load of wood chips, and reinsert the loading trough into the cooking chamber.
Because this reloading process may need to be repeated multiple times during a slow cooking and smoking cycle, a considerable amount of time and attention is required. Also, the amount of smoke generated within the cooking chamber is cyclical such that (a) the amount of smoke generated for at least several minutes prior to replacing a spent load of wood chips can be undesirably low and (b) little or no smoke will be initially generated for several minutes after a fresh load of wood chips is inserted.
To complete the entire cooking and smoking process without having to repeatedly replace the wood chips, the amount of wood chips placed in the cooking and smoking chamber at the beginning of the cooking cycle would have to be up to four times or more greater than the amount of wood chips currently used in each of the small individual loads. Unfortunately, however, placing such a large load of wood chips or pellets in close proximity to the electric heating element for the purpose of producing smoke will create various problems.
First, placing such a large amount of fuel in close proximity to the heat source can cause fires inside the cooking chamber. Second, even if the fire is suppressed, a higher rate of combustion will still be produced which will use up the wood more quickly while also generating more heat than smoke. Third, associated with the second problem, an undesirable amount of dense smoke can build up inside the cooking chamber and create an unfavorable cooking environment which can lead to, among other things, the excessive condensation of smoke and water vapor from the combustion process onto the relatively cold meat or other food products within the cooking and smoking chamber.